[His clawed fingertips come back up absentmindedly, touching lightly against his collarbones in confirmation when Rohan points them out — yes, that's right, it's there too, and moreover it's sort of charming to think that Rohan's just as capable of spotting these things as he is, with the way that Rohan is watching him as much as he's watching himself. Of course it's no surprise that he likes that. Someone looking at him and understanding how he works — that's what everyone really wants deep down, isn't it?
It's what he really wants deep down, at least. It feels good to get it.
He fixes his eyes on his reflection and starts to think about flapping his wings, but then doubles back and decides there's too good of a chance that doing so will make it come out forced and flawed, at a time in the process when accuracy seems so key. So he thinks of the same things he does when he's gathering himself up for a takeoff, instead, and trusts his wings to do the instinctive work for him.
It's much better that way, he can tell. That way it's not just seeing what his body does, but what the gargoyle knows.
He watches his wings shift and beat through a few shallow flaps, eyes fixed on the mirror at his own reflection rebounded back at himself from the other.]
They're not like bird wings. It's not just the main limb doing all the work, though it's definitely working hardest. Those other structures do the finer movements — that's why I'm so agile when I fly. I guess with the way a gargoyle hunts, that's a benefit; birds of prey hunt by swooping and diving, but they have to do it in definite arcs, if they miss on a dive then they just miss. My control is much better than that. Those substructures off the main wing are probably why.
...I see my scales. Those must be protecting the rearranged muscle, because that's where all of the movement is happening. It starts in my back and then ripples out through the wings. I guess...probably the tail will do the same thing. Like it's all one combined process, working together to make flying as precise as it can be.
[He pauses, blinking, and beats his wings again.]
Right. When I move them it moves too. Not a lot, with how short it is still, but standing still and moving the wings, my balance changes. It's already moving to help correct that. So...when it's longer it's probably going to move a lot, too, from just how it's naturally designed to work as a part of the whole.
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It's what he really wants deep down, at least. It feels good to get it.
He fixes his eyes on his reflection and starts to think about flapping his wings, but then doubles back and decides there's too good of a chance that doing so will make it come out forced and flawed, at a time in the process when accuracy seems so key. So he thinks of the same things he does when he's gathering himself up for a takeoff, instead, and trusts his wings to do the instinctive work for him.
It's much better that way, he can tell. That way it's not just seeing what his body does, but what the gargoyle knows.
He watches his wings shift and beat through a few shallow flaps, eyes fixed on the mirror at his own reflection rebounded back at himself from the other.]
They're not like bird wings. It's not just the main limb doing all the work, though it's definitely working hardest. Those other structures do the finer movements — that's why I'm so agile when I fly. I guess with the way a gargoyle hunts, that's a benefit; birds of prey hunt by swooping and diving, but they have to do it in definite arcs, if they miss on a dive then they just miss. My control is much better than that. Those substructures off the main wing are probably why.
...I see my scales. Those must be protecting the rearranged muscle, because that's where all of the movement is happening. It starts in my back and then ripples out through the wings. I guess...probably the tail will do the same thing. Like it's all one combined process, working together to make flying as precise as it can be.
[He pauses, blinking, and beats his wings again.]
Right. When I move them it moves too. Not a lot, with how short it is still, but standing still and moving the wings, my balance changes. It's already moving to help correct that. So...when it's longer it's probably going to move a lot, too, from just how it's naturally designed to work as a part of the whole.